News

2015-08-21 16:31:58.397

Barnes-Jewish Co-Workers Share $1 Million Prize

A group of 19 co-workers at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis will be sharing more than office space after they won a $1 million second-level Powerball prize by matching all five white-ball numbers drawn in the Aug. 12 drawing. The group, which works in the medical records section, has been combining their money to purchase Powerball tickets for the past four years. The winning numbers were 8, 13, 29, 38 and 52.

Terri Mastis, 53, purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket for the group at Circle K, 9311 S. Broadway St. in St. Louis, on Aug. 11. Mastis didn’t realize they had won the prize until the morning after the drawing, when another member of the group checked the numbers and called her with the news.

“He called me at home and told me we had won – the moment was so surreal,” she said. “When I got to work, everyone was laughing and hugging. I think we still can’t believe it.”

The group will split the jackpot evenly, each receiving around $52,631 before taxes. Mastis said the win will really help many of her co-workers.

“This win happened at a good time. A lot of prayers have been answered,” Mastis said. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer group.”

Mastis said plans for the winnings include things like new furniture, new cars, trips and paying off bills.

According to Mastis, each member contributes $5 a week, and they play both draws for Powerball and one for Mega Millions. If the Mega Millions jackpot is high, they put in $6 a week and play both Powerball drawings and both Mega Millions drawings. Four or five of the group’s members take turns buying the tickets, and someone makes copies to check, while the actual tickets get locked up at work.

The group’s ticket is the 35th second-level winning ticket worth $1 million sold since Powerball was enhanced in January 2012. Prior to that, eight other Powerball tickets worth $1 million, achieved by using the Power Play feature, were sold in Missouri.

In addition to the group’s win, Circle K also received a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.